With just weeks to go before South Korea's presidential election at the end of last year, Seoul's newspapers were full of stories about historic North-South cooperation.

Among the pictures of the departing South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun walking across the border to clasp hands with North Korea's Kim Jong-il and freight trains crossing between the countries for the first time in 56 years, there was just enough room on a few of the front pages for reports of a technology deal struck between the two leaders.

Groundbreaking project

Under the banner of "Hana Linux" - literally "One" Linux - the two countries have agreed to work on a groundbreaking IT development project that might shatter the final Cold War boundary.

South Korea is one of Linux's biggest converts. Since discovering the free operating system in 2003, officials have unveiled plans to switch all government-run offices to Linux. Now under the terms of the agreement signed between the two states, South Korea will set up Linux training centres in North Korea.

Lee Yon-nim, 28, is a former IT consultant at Posco, a South Korean steel exporter. "Why Linux? Because it's free. Government offices don't have to buy licences for it, unlike Windows, which can end up costing an enormous amount. In theory, having a standardised version for the North and South will help matters enormously if the countries do unify in the future."

Moon Hwi-tak, chairman of Gongae Software, the South Korean company behind the development of Hana Linux, says: "Linux is widely used all over the world, and different countries, different companies have all added different functions and tools to suit their needs. If companies in Korea all use their own versions, it will waste time and money and cause confusion. A unified version will solve a lot of potential problems."

Moon adds: "Political cooperation is already under way, and this is going to benefit IT development in a big way for the North and the South. Sharing technological knowhow and manpower will help us become more competitive in the international IT market."

Sceptics believe they are being fed the dream that IT is going to magically lead to reunification. Optimists, meanwhile, are asking if technology is really about to produce light at the end of Asia's dark political tunnel.

Many believe there is another, deeper reason for Korea developing Hana Linux. Says Lee: "Korea wants this version of Linux in order to be different. People here have had to fight for their political freedom from Japan, China and other countries since the beginning of Korean history. So they like having their own special way of doing things. It makes them feel independent."

Indeed, when it comes to IT, South Koreans do things differently. Almost everyone in the country uses Korean search engine, Naver; Google is considered a poor man's substitute. MSN's Messenger plays second fiddle to the local Nate On service. Virtually the whole of South Korea snubs Windows Media Player for Gom Player. The list goes on.

Hong Young-jun, 27, a Ph.D student at KAIST, a South Korean University dedicated to IT, thinks North Korea is making a bold move. He says: "Until very recently, Pyongyang has only used IT for military purposes. Opening North Korean society up to the internet and mobile phones will make it difficult for the government to control freedom of expression in the way it has done since the 1950s."

Note of caution

However, Lee warns that IT collaboration may not be the golden ticket the South Korean government hopes it will be. "Hana Linux doesn't have a future," she says. "Trying to bind North Korea to one operating system will not work if the country opens up. Once they see other operating systems available, they will look elsewhere."

Hong agrees. "One thing we can be sure of is that the North has no intention of being bossed about by the South when it comes to IT - or anything else."

North Korea goes digital

2003: North Korea says it has set up its first internet connection. It also established the Korean Computer Centre, with branches in Europe and China, with the assistance of businessman Jan Holtermann, who says: "North Korea is the India of the future."

2004: Naenara, meaning "My Country", North Korea's first portal, is launched. It is banned by South Korea, which fears its use as a propaganda tool.

October 2007: Kim Jong-il declares to the South Korean press: "I am an internet expert."

End 2007: Pyongyang confirms that a South Korean-run industrial park in Kaesong, North Korea, will be allowed to use computers with internet access.

Recently: South Korea has produced an "IT Terminology Dictionary for Inter-Korean use" in an attempt to prevent two different sets of technological jargon appearing on the two sides of the border.

2008: The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology will enrol students for the first time this year. Officially a joint North and South Korean project, the institution was mainly funded by companies and groups from the South, as well as China and the US.